


Let Down Your Hair

by buzzybees



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse, All for fun, Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Tangled AU, a bit of, but only for a minute and nothing else really bad happens, i don't own rwby or tangled or the story of rapunzel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21830794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzybees/pseuds/buzzybees
Summary: Weiss, for 18 years, has been trapped in a tower by her father. It's the only life she's ever known, but as she realises her father's cruel nature, and with a few pretty lanterns in the night sky that draw her in more, Weiss longed to be free.And she just so happens to get her wish when two bandits show up at her tower.
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, but yeah just side bees, eventually kinda there and being cute, the bees are like
Comments: 14
Kudos: 202





	Let Down Your Hair

**Author's Note:**

> hello my friends, hope you're all well. i was scrolling through tumblr, and i found amazing art done by the--doodler of Weiss as Rapunzel from Tangled. It gave me inspiration, and i decided to write a very long one shot based on tangled, but not everything is 100% the same, of course. Faunus still exist, with a bit of a twist ;) . I hope you all enjoy this story, and again credit goes to the--doodler for inspiration. ill leave the link to the blog and the post im talking about :)
> 
> https://the--doodler.tumblr.com/post/189493781673/so-i-really-liked-the-idea-of-weiss-having-a-lot

Weiss leaned against her window and sighed, staring out at the setting sun. The colours were so beautiful, and she always made sure to catch the sunset just so she would never forget what it looked like. With her chin resting on her hand, head tilted just slightly, she allowed the smallest of smiles to spread on her lips as the sun lowered itself even more, indicating the beginning of evening.

The silence ticked on as she stared, and her small smile soon turned to one of bitterness, a scowl resting on her face as she pulled herself away from her window. She turned and glanced around her room- the white stones staring back at her, taunting her almost.

She hated this fucking tower.

Everyday, for almost 18 years, she’s been in this tower. As long as she could remember, she had been stuck here- forbidden to leave, and her only company being her cat, who started as a stray she found hiding among her book shelf, and also her dreadful father. 

“Father.” Weiss said aloud, bitterly. She scoffed and shook her head, walking over to her bed. Well, “bed” was a loose term for whatever this was- it really was just a ratty mattress on the floor, barely providing any comfort. She sat down on it and sighed deeply, reaching out for a couple pages scattered on her floor.

She had taken up two hobbies while being trapped in this tower. One was singing. It was one of the few things she remembered enjoying, one thing that made her feel... Like she was free. Freer than she really was.

The second thing was drawing. She had never thought she was that good, and if her father caught her with these, he would surely punish her. But she couldn’t help it- every year on her birthday, she would see the prettiest lights. Beautiful lanterns that would float up and disappear into the night sky, but they would never disappear from her mind. She would immediately sketch them afterwards, a desperate attempt to keep them fresh in her mind. They were the few things she looked forward to on her birthday.

A shuffle behind her caught her attention, causing her to flinch and drop her pages. She spun around, eyes narrowed.

“Meow.”

Weiss relaxed her shoulders. She grabbed the scattered pages and shoved them in her pillow case to hide them.

“Blake.” Weiss said, standing up from her mattress. The black cat mewled again, stretching its back before trotting over to Weiss’ feet, placing her paws on her bare toes and looking up at her, amber eyes shining. Weiss rolled her eyes and picked up the feline, the cats ears twitching in response. “What are you doing? You know father will be here soon. He barely tolerates you, and if I lost my _only_ companion in this tower, I don’t know what I’d do.”

She laid the cat in her arms, cradling it. Blake purred and settled into her arms, seemingly very content to be there. She meowed once more, as if she understood what she was saying. It was impossible, of course, but Weiss took comfort in the fact that... Maybe Blake really _did_ understand her. Understood her situation.

When she found Blake curled up behind her books in her shelf, she was startled, to say the least. She wasn’t sure where she came from, but she immediately found comfort in the little feline. It got lonely in the tower, so even if Blake could be annoying at times, and an absolute gremlin, her company was always relaxing for Weiss. She had tried to think of a proper name for her for about two days, and on the third day, she remembered waking up to a book on her chest, open to a specific page. It was a weird thing to wake up to, and Blake was sitting next to her hand, headbutting it. Weiss had been so confused, but opened the book and looked at the page. She had no clue what the story was about, however the name of the warrior depicted in the story, or more so a stealthy ninja rather than a warrior, was Blake.

So, Weiss named her Blake. Or perhaps, Blake named herself.

Weiss sighed as she returned her attention to the cat in her arms, trying to act annoyed. “You’re going to get fur _all_ over my dress, you heathen.”

Blake squirmed in her arms, before jumping onto Weiss’ head. Weiss gasped in shock, a shout of the cats name falling out of her mouth as Blake jumped off her head, landing on the spiral steps that led upwards, to the only door in the tower. Weiss huffed and turned around, hands on her hips.

“Blake! You insufferable- Ugh, be careful.” Weiss scolded, and she could have sworn she saw the cat smirk, but it must have been her imagination. “If father sees _anything_ wrong with my hair, you know he’ll blame me, and then he’ll....”

Weiss’ words died in her throat, instead shaking her head to clear her thoughts of what could happen. Let’s just say... Her hair was very precious. It was, Weiss surmised, the only reason her father still tolerated her existence. She wasn’t blind or stupid, in contrast to what her father saw her as. His sickly sweet nature towards her was just an act- a facade he created to keep her placated, to keep her under his thumb. He used to hold it up much better when she was younger, but once she turned 16, he didn’t try as hard. She became aware of his true nature soon after, and had been planning to escape this tower ever since. She wasn’t sure how she would, or when, but seeing those lanterns every year made her think there was so much more out there. So much more to see, people to meet... 

Weiss looked behind her, grabbing part of her hair. She ran her fingers through the wild, snowy white mane that travelled from her head all the way around the floor of her tower. She was never sure why it was so special, or why it was so _long_ , but her father always ordered her never to cut it. Never to harm it, or damage it. So, she obeyed. Because what else could she really do?

Every once and a while, though, her father would come into her tower. He didn’t live there with her, of course, but every full moon he would show up, only to make sure her hair was in good condition, rather than herself. He would touch it, play with it, sometimes even test its strength by pulling it. It would always make Weiss feel uncomfortable, make her feel used. He would then sit her down at her vanity- one of the only gifts to her for one of her birthdays- order her to grab her brush, and sing to him.

It should have been a nice moment. Should have been a father just wanting time with his daughter. But it never was. It was all a selfish ruse, and Weiss was aware of it, but she never knew for sure just _what_ was so important about her doing this. Never understood why her father would ask her to.

She didn’t want to stay much longer to ask these questions though.

A horse neighed outside of her tower, and she rushed to the window to look down. She bristled when she saw her father step out of the carriage, his clipped voice reaching her ears as he ordered the driver to wait for him. Weiss cursed and whirled around, motioning to Blake, who had begun licking her paws and cleaning herself.

“Blake!” She hissed, stepping towards the cat with a “shooing” motion. “You have to hide. He’s here.”

Blake stopped her movements and tilted her head. Her eyes were trained on Weiss’ face, and Weiss felt a weird sensation in her stomach. It was odd, how human-like Blake was sometimes. How it seemed like she was seeing if she was okay, or if she wanted her to stay.

Weiss took initiative and grabbed the cat, a meow coming from her as Weiss placed her on the window sill. She gestured outside, and her ears picked up the sound of steps outside of the door at the spiral staircase.

“Go!” Weiss ordered, and with one last sad meow, Blake hopped from the window, scaling the side of the tower with some stones that were sticking out. Weiss watched her leave, envy in her heart at how easy it was for her to do so.

One day, Weiss would do the same.

“Weiss!”

Weiss jumped and shrank back from the window, quickly going to the bottom of the stairs. Her skin crawled as her father descended the steps. His white suit was pristine as always, and his posture as straight and upright as an arrow. She fought the urge to frown, and instead showed a rehearsed, tight smile towards him as he reached the bottom, looming above her.

“Father.” Weiss said. He stared at her for a moment, mouth in a harsh line. She looked back at him, fear pricking her heart as he studied her. His eyes fell to her hair, and a twitch on his lip indicated to her that she wasn’t going through this night without punishment.

“What is _this_?” He hissed, clamping a hand down on her shoulder and yanking her closer. She yelped, his other hand touching strands of her hair on the top of her head, where Blake had jumped on. She internally cursed that cat as her father gripped her shoulder tighter, pulling her back enough to glare into her eyes. “What did you do?”

“Nothing, Father. I must have ruffled in it my sleep.” Weiss said. She gulped as his eyes narrowed at her reply, his scoff echoing around the tower. He let go of her shoulder, only to wrap his hand around the back of her neck, shoving her towards the vanity. She caught herself before she could slam into it, swallowing the gasp in her throat. She spun around to face him again, only to be shoved down into the rickety wooden chair next to her. He pointed a finger in her face.

“ _What_ did I tell you? What have I _always_ told you, Weiss?” He was seething, shoulders shaking with rage. Weiss licked her lips and looked away from him, heart pounding painfully with fear in her chest. He clutched her chin and forced her to look back at him, his icy blue eyes piercing her soul. “I told you to be careful. I told you to _never_ act so carelessly about this. I told you this because of one reason, and what was that?”

Weiss’ breathing had escalated at this point, and she was trying so desperately to stay calm, to not hyperventilate. Weiss gulped as his grip tightened on her chin, and her voice was squeaky and weak when she replied.

“Father knows best.” She whispered.

“Speak up, girl!” He snarled, and she flinched as his face got closer. Some spit landed on her cheek as he spoke, and she clutched her dress tightly to resist the urge to reach up and wipe it off. Weiss parted her lips once more with a shaky breath.

“Father. Knows. Best.” She emphasised each word, raising her voice a bit. He stared at her for a moment, and as quickly as it had come, the anger seeped out of his eyes, and he let go of her chin, straightening back up and running his hands along his suit jacket, rubbing out any crinkles.

“Yes. Father knows best.” He repeated, a delighted, evil smirk on his face. Weiss averted her eyes, attempting to regain control of her breathing and her rapid heart beat. “And it would be best if you remembered that. We don’t want any more... Accidents, hm?” His voice was sickeningly calm, and Weiss instinctively reached up when he said that, her fingertips tracing the scar on her left eye.

For her 17th birthday, Weiss had tried escaping. It was sloppy work, and she didn’t make it far out of the tower before her father stopped her. He was furious, of course, and she expected the slap. What she didn’t expect was later that evening, after he had left, when she was washing herself up for bed, she heard a growl outside of her window. When she went to check on it, a wolf-like creature shot into her room, startling her.

She was lucky enough to find a sharp stick around the tower to fend it off, but not without being left with a nasty scar along her left eye. It took her three days to properly care for it, and the next time she saw her father, it gave her the answers she needed about the odd attack. He must have planted it as a threat to her, a warning to never cross him again.

Weiss took a deep breath, and was pulled out of her thoughts when her father grabbed her chair and turned it around, so she was now facing the mirror on her vanity. It was cracked in a few places, but you could still see them both plain as day. Weiss in the chair, long flowing hair stretching out behind her and up the staircase, her father standing just behind her and maintaining eye contact in the mirror. “Now,” He said. “Begin.”

Without a word or protest, her shaky hand grabbed the hair brush laying on the vanity. Her father stood directly behind her, a hand on her shoulder. This was the routine- her in the chair, him standing just behind, and a rough hand on her shoulder, accompanied soon with his other one in her hair. She stared into his eyes through the mirror for a moment, before his cold eyes made her shut them- as she was told to. Her other hand, without the brush, touched his hand, but it wasn’t for comfort. Weiss didn’t know what this was all for- it was all her father’s orders.

She began to sing.

“Flower gleam and glow.” Her soft voice floated out of her mouth, the brush running through her hair gently. “Let your power shine.” She felt the usual strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. It travelled from there all the way through her chest, and to the tips of her fingers that were laid on her father’s hand. She could _feel_ something there, but was never allowed to truly see what happens.

“Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine.” She felt the usual tug to her hair, and her father wrapping a piece around his other hand. She never knew why. She stuttered a little when he tugged, and she bit back tears when it was a little harder than normal. “H-Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design.”

She continued brushing, her hand growing tired from it all. Her whole body was growing tired, as it always did in these sessions.

“Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine.” She heard her father let out a deep breath from behind her, some of it ghosting the back of her neck. An uncomfortable dread settled in her stomach, and her voice came out much softer as she sang the last line.

“What once was mine.” Weiss finished the song, keeping her eyes closed until she heard her father sigh, and both of his hands retracted from her. She shakily drew in a breath and opened her eyes slowly. Her father stood there behind her still, hands now clasped behind his back as he observed her. She laid the brush down on the vanity once more, staying put in her seat.

He reached out and placed one hand on the top of her head, patting it twice before his smirk returned to his face, ruthless and cruel.

“Well done.” He mused, and Weiss braced herself by gripping the sides of her chair. “Stand up.” He ordered, and she gulped as she obeyed, tired limbs and frail heart working in tandem to turn herself around, which was more difficult than it needed to be. Her father did nothing for a solid minute, which just increased the dark feeling that began to spread from Weiss’ stomach to her heart, coiling around it.

The audible slap bounced off the walls, like thunder in the dark night. Weiss bit her lip so hard it almost bled, her face turned to the right side as a result. Her father paid her reaction no mind, paid no mind to what he just did. Weiss was used to it by now, anyhow.

“You will not be so careless next time, understand?” Her father said through gritted teeth, and all Weiss could do was nod. “Good.” He was satisfied enough, it seemed, because he turned around, his back now facing her. “I will see you on the next full moon.”

And with that, he ascended the spiral steps, and left through the wooden door.

Once the door closed, Weiss allowed herself to drop onto the chair again, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to shake, hot tears pouring from her eyes. Her cheek stung terribly, and she knew it would stay red for a while.

She heard scuffling coming from the window. She sniffled a few times, looking up at the sound and wiping her tears. Amber eyes glowed in the dark, and a light scoff escaped her lips.

“Happy birthday to me, hm?” Weiss said, and Blake jumped down from her perch on the sill. Weiss sniffled once more, and seeing as it was now midnight, and officially her 18th birthday, she glanced out the window to see if the lanterns had been raised yet. She was too tired to walk to the window.

Her heart sank when she saw, for the first time in (now) 18 years, there were no lanterns. There were no lights for her, no beautiful sign of freedom.

A bump to her leg caught her attention, and she looked down to Blake, the cat sitting just next to her leg. She smiled sadly at the creature, shrugging her shoulders weakly.

“Maybe they... Just forgot this year?” Weiss offered, a feeble attempt at sounding hopeful. Blake meowed in response, her head nuzzling Weiss’ ankle. Weiss sighed and nodded at the cat, then proceeded to pick her up, placing her on her vanity, close to the mirror. Blake laid down and looked up at her, blinking once. Weiss sighed deeply, looking at herself in the mirror. She stared for a long time, suddenly feeling compelled to sing, to give herself some sort of comfort, something she could have control over for once. She thought for a moment, before she remembered an old song she had come across in one of her books, and she tried to remember how it went.

Weiss cleared her throat, and Blake lifted her head, ears pricked forward as she began to softly sing.

_Mirror, can you hear me?  
Do I reach you?  
Are you even listening?  
Can I get through?_

Her voice was soft and gentle, a low tone that was soothing to her own ears. Blake was watching her intently, and she sent the cat a tiny smile, reaching out to scratch behind her ear as she continued.

_There’s a part of me that’s desperate for changes  
Tired of being treated like a pawn  
_

Weiss paused for a second, looking at herself in the mirror. One of the cracked pieces of her face stared back at her with wide, sad blue eyes.

_But there’s a part of me that stares back  
From inside the mirror  
Part of me that’s scared I might be wrong  
_

She paused again, a shaky breath expelling from her lungs. She bit her lip to choke back the tears building in her throat, and she promptly swallowed the thick bundle.

_That I can’t  
Be  
Strong_

Weiss dropped her voice into a hum, a gradual tone at first. Blake headbutted her hand, which Weiss had come to realise was a sign of affection, and it caused her to smile again. She looked back at herself in the mirror, and as her humming escalated, the music in her mind swelling, she kicked herself away from the vanity, her chair falling to the floor behind her.

_I’ve been afraid  
Never standing on my own  
I let you be the keeper of my pride_

Weiss raised her voice, her hands gripping at her dress as she felt anger bubble beneath her skin- towards a man who was supposed to be her _father_ , her protector.

_Believed you when you told me I was nothing on my own  
Listen when I say_

Weiss twirled herself around, swaying her body to her own tune, the tune she created in her mind. She swayed closer to the window with each line.

_I swear it here today_

Weiss stopped at the window, leaning her hands on the edge, a set of determined blue orbs staring out into the night sky, the stars twinkling back at her as if to cheer her on, to encourage her. Her smile turned into a determined smirk.

_I will not surrender_

Weiss gripped the edge of the window tightly, her voice rising into a beautiful crescendo, flowing into the night.

_This life_  
_Is_  
_Mine!_

She held the note for a moment, before letting it drop, her voice echoing through the darkness outside, and she heard a few birds fly out of the forest, watching them with a heaving chest as they flew away. 

Weiss caught her breath for a moment, and she was saddened that she couldn’t remember the rest of the song. But, that much was enough for her, and with a new spark of determination and hope within her, she stepped away from the window, turning to look at Blake, who sat by her mirror still, tail swishing back and forth.

“One day, I’ll leave here for good. This is my life, and the next chance I get, I’m leaving.” Weiss said. Blake tilted her head and meowed in response, and Weiss just breathed out a laugh before walking to her mattress, crawling on it and laying on her back. She gathered up as much of her hair as possible into a more comfortable position. “You’re right, I should get some rest.” She gazed up at the ceiling of her tower, just barely clinging to wakefulness as she felt a stir near her side, and then a black lump settled itself on her chest. Weiss rolled her tired eyes fondly, before reaching up to rub between the cats ears. 

“Goodnight, Blake.” Weiss whispered, and a purr vibrated from the little feline as she fell asleep on her. Weiss followed her lead and she too, soon, fell fast asleep.

She awoke the next morning to noises outside of her window. Or rather, down below her window, on the ground outside of her tower. She stirred, groaning slightly at the sun in her eyes. She blinked a few times to get her bearings, before realising that Blake was no longer on her chest. Instead, she was sitting on the window sill, gazing down with her ears pricked forward in interest.

“Blake? What are those noises?” Weiss asked in a raspy tone, only just having woke up fully. Blake’s one ear swivelled towards her as Weiss shuffled on her mattress, long hair swooping behind her as she approached the window.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the scene. The noises were a horse- a large, white horse with a saddle on its back, some brown rucksacks hanging from it and a crate tied to its back, just behind the saddle. It was grazing just down below on some grass, not paying the tower or anyone any mind. Weiss frowned, placing her hands on the window sill just next to Blake, whose head had tilted in a question.

“What is this?” Weiss mused, watching the horse graze some more. This was a weird way to start her birthday- did her father, for once in her life, actually get her a useful present for her birthday?

That was chased out of her head as soon as she thought of it. There was no way her father left this horse here, which could only mean it ran away from its owner, or there was someone around here. Which sounded just as impossible as her father buying her this horse. _No one_ knew she was here.

The horse continued to mind its own business, and the rumbling in Weiss’ stomach indicated that she was too hungry to really deal with this situation at the moment. So she sighed and pulled herself away from the window, shrugging when Blake looked at her curiously.

“We’ll figure it out soon, Blake. I’m too hungry to care right now.” Weiss continued walking, going past her vanity on her way to the kitchen part of her little tower. It wasn’t much, but her father had at least provided _some_ ingredients to cook with, complete with an oven, stove and one shelf to hold things on, as well as a small fridge. It was barely enough to get by, but she was still alive, so that’s a good thing at least.

She opened the fridge and pulled out some ingredients, setting to work on the stove with her frying pan. Eggs and bacon were the meal today, because fuck it- it’s her damn birthday and she’s 18 now.

She hummed as she cooked, Blake jumping up onto the shelf next to the stove. Her tail flicked back and forth, her eyes focused on Weiss’ pan. Weiss glanced up at her, before shaking her head and reaching into the pan. She picked out a piece of egg that seemed scrambled enough and cooked, reaching up on her tip toes to give it to her. Blake’s ears perked up and she swallowed it up immediately. Weiss rolled her eyes as Blake climbed back down, choosing instead to weave in and out of Weiss’ legs, rubbing her body against her in appreciation.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don’t touch me.” Weiss said, but the smile on her face showed the complete opposite. Affection was weird for her, even if it was from an animal and not a real person. Gods, if she ever met a real person, in the _flesh_ , she wouldn’t be sure how to deal with it.

A startled meow from behind her told her that Blake had either been scared by something, or she found something interesting. Weiss hummed, left hand gripping the pan handle as she turned around.

“Blake? What is-?”

“Hello!”

Weiss screamed at the sight of a girl- not much younger than her, with black and red hair that touched her shoulders. The corset she wore, along with the skirt and combat boots, as well as a flowing red cloak attached around her neck, accentuated every part of her very well. Weiss blinked at her for a moment, the girl's smile battling with the sun with who is the brightest, and her beautiful silver eyes lighting up.

She panicked immediately, and before she could think about it, she grabbed the pan with both hands, the eggs and bacon falling to the floor as she raised it up high. The girl in front of her gasped, hands flailing towards Weiss.

“No, no! _Wait-”_

Weiss smacked her in the head. With her frying pan.

There was a beat of silence, before the girl suddenly fell backwards onto her back on the floor, eyes closed and a harsh red mark on her forehead. Weiss breathed deeply, heart rapidly pumping as she continued to hold tightly onto her pan.

Weiss gulped and licked her lips, very carefully shuffling towards the person on her floor. Blake sidled up next to the body with curiosity, mewing. Weiss kept her eyes on the girl, standing just over her and looking down.

“I just hit someone. With a pan.” Weiss said. Blake pressed her little nose to the girl’s hair several times, which prompted Weiss to look at her. “What is it?”

Blake glanced up at her, before purring and nuzzling her head into the girl’s hair. Weiss raised an eyebrow at the creature as she did so, eyes flitting between her and the girl’s face. She lowered the frying pan after a minute or so, placing it on the floor next to the girl’s feet. She walked around the body, lowering herself onto her knees next to Blake. Blake purred some more, pressing a paw onto the girl’s head. Weiss pursed her lips, before lowering her head towards the girl’s hair.

It was pleasantly surprising how beautiful she smelled.

“Oh.” Weiss uttered in awe. “She smells like those flowers that grew just outside the tower, once.” Blake meowed at her, and she hummed as she sniffed some more, filling her senses with this smell. “I remember the smell being blown in here, and father told me what the name was...”

Weiss paused and pulled herself away with a thoughtful expression, then it clicked in her mind.

“Roses.” She said, a pleasant warmth growing in her chest that she had no reason or explanation for. Blake purred loudly, and then her ear pricked up at a sound outside of the tower.

“Ruby? RUBY! Where the hell did you go?”

Blake and Weiss looked at each other, before Blake shot over to the window and hopped onto it. Weiss followed suit, peering out of the window.

The horse was still there, but was now accompanied by a young woman, maybe around her age, with a long mane of golden hair. Her lilac eyes were very pretty, and she stood broad and tall with a sack over her shoulder. She was looking around the forest area just next to Weiss’ tower, calling for this ‘Ruby’.

“Gods, Ruby! I swear, if you went and got yourself caught in another snare trap, _so help me_.” The woman said, annoyance present in her tone.

Weiss noticed the twitch to Blake’s right ear, and glanced to the feline next to her. Her amber eyes were narrowed with interest at the young woman, and her ears pricked forward when she spoke. Weiss watched the cat curiously for a moment, before returning her gaze to the woman below.

“Well, Ember, looks like we’ve lost her again. Maybe someone in this tower can help?” The young woman looked at her horse, before she started raising her eyes to the window of her tower. Weiss gasped and shrank back immediately, accidentally falling on her butt. She fell next to the other girl’s head, and she squeaked when her hand fell onto the girl’s bicep.

Oh, Weiss thought, she had some muscle there.

Before Weiss could explore this thought more, she began to hear grunting outside, and deduced that whoever this woman was, was now climbing her tower. And coming quickly.

“Oh gods, oh _no.”_ Weiss said to herself, scrambling to stand up. She looked around for a minute, trying to think fast. Blake hopped down from the window and meowed at her, gathering her attention. She clawed at the closet in the corner of her tower, behind her mattress. She beamed at the creature, rushing over to it. “Of _course!”_

Weiss grabbed the girl on the floor and hoisted her up, dragging her over to the chair that had stayed on the floor. She picked up the chair and placed her on it, then picked up the frying pan again. Just as she heard the woman climb the last little bit towards the window, Weiss stepped into the closet and shut the doors, leaving it open just a crack to see through.

The woman ungracefully flopped inside her room, her exhausted groan bouncing off the walls.

“Geez, that was a workout. Next time, I’m bringing more rope.” The woman muttered to herself, before she sighed and sat up off the floor. Weiss suppressed a gasp when she surveyed the woman, her eyes falling to the metal encasing her right arm. Weiss observed the woman as she stood up, dusting her backside off with said metal hand. Her back was facing the closet, therefore it was facing the side of the room with her companion sitting in the chair.

But that didn’t last for long, though, as the woman finally turned and her gasp was loud and concerned as she rushed over to the chair, placing her hands on the girl’s unconscious form.

“Ruby! What the fuck happened?” The woman said, shaking the girl slightly. Weiss now realised _this_ was Ruby, and Ruby began to stir the more she was shaken. The woman looked relieved, and Weiss was completely scared out of her mind that _two_ people were now in her tower.

“Y-Yang?” Ruby mumbled in confusion, the girl starting to wake up. Weiss used this opportunity to step out of the closet, and she slowly but surely tip-toed behind the golden haired woman, who was preoccupied with helping Ruby.

“I’m here, Rubes. Are you ok-”

Weiss slammed the pan down onto the woman’s- ‘Yang’s’- head, abruptly cutting her off. She fell to the floor, and Ruby’s eyes widened comically before Weiss squeaked in surprise, instinctively hitting her in the head just like earlier. She fell unconscious once more, and now Weiss had _two_ women passed out in her tower.

Weiss’ chest heaved from all the panic and action, and she dropped the frying pan, the object clattering to the floor. Weiss stepped a few paces back, almost falling over when she ran into Blake. She jumped at the feeling of fur on her ankle, and she looked down to see Blake sitting next to her feet, gazing at the two bodies tangled over each other.

Weiss looked back to the bodies sheepishly, cheeks filling up with heat.

“I was afraid.” Weiss stuttered, and she heard Blake mewl back at her in understanding. Or, it sounded like understanding, and Weiss was going to take it as that. “How did they find me here? Did father send them?” Weiss questioned, and Blake trotted over to the bodies, sniffing around them and poking her nose into parts of their bodies. She stopped when she sniffed at “Ruby’s” pocket, and she meowed to Weiss. Weiss blinked and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Blake pawed at Ruby’s pocket, and Weiss took initiative, gingerly walking over to the two people on her floor. She crouched down and, with a shaky hand, reached into Ruby’s pocket and pulled something out.

It was a folded up piece of paper, and Weiss pursed her lips in thought as she unfolded it, being met with a crude drawing of these two women, looking slightly inaccurate, but you could still tell it was meant to be them in the drawing.

“WANTED: Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, the infamous thieving sister duo. REWARD: $50 000 Lien each.”

Weiss gasped and held the paper, staring at it in shock.

They were bandits?!

“Blake, this is very bad.” Weiss commented as she stood up, the cat busy climbing over Ruby’s body to get to the other one- she remembered Ruby calling her Yang, so this must be the sister. Blake paused next to Yang’s head, her ears flattening against her head as she nuzzled into the golden mane. Weiss sputtered and reached out, grabbing the feline. Blake whined and squirmed in her hands. “Blake, stop it! Keep your paws off of them. We don’t know how dangerous they are.” Weiss chided, and Blake eventually relented to being held.

Weiss let her down onto the floor next to her feet, and to her relief, Blake stayed put, but kept her amber eyes trained on the golden haired girl. Weiss frowned and folded up the paper, shoving it into the pocket of her dress. She looked down at the mess she made, her eyes stopping on Ruby’s face.

She looked very calm and gentle, her features young and hair framing her face perfectly. Weiss found herself staring much longer than intended, her head tilting in curiosity. She was... Actually quite nice looking. Weiss had never seen another person besides her father before, and she now has interacted with two other humans who were both very beautiful.

It clearly didn’t go like she had dreamt about.

“What am I going to do?” Weiss muttered, pressing her hands to her head and closing her eyes as she thought deeply. She sighed and shook her head in disbelief at her actions, before opening her eyes when Blake meowed to get her attention. Blake had moved, and was now on top of the chair Ruby was previously sitting on. Blake meowed again and clawed at the chair, before dropping down and sitting next to the two bodies. Weiss furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out what the cat was trying to tell her.

It clicked in her brain when Blake moved to press her paw onto a part of Weiss’ hair. She swiftly shot over to the two, lifting Yang’s body off of Ruby. 

“Blake, I’ll deny this if you ever say it- What am I saying, you can’t speak- but you are quite the intelligent feline.” Weiss said, grabbing under Ruby’s armpits to lift her up and sit her down on the chair. She dragged the chair to the middle of the room, being mindful of her long cape of hair, and then she dragged Yang across the floor, placing her behind Ruby’s chair, sitting on the floor against the back legs of it. She nodded once at her handiwork, before grabbing clumps upon clumps of her hair, wrapping it around the two to tie them to the chair, and to tie them together.

Weiss stepped back once she was finished, but not too far that her hair pulled too much. She grabbed the frying pan off the floor once more, raised it near her head, and proceeded to wait for the inevitable.

Blake jumped up behind her, sitting on a step of the spiral stairs, right above Weiss’ head. Both of them waited in silence.

Weiss wasn’t sure how much time had passed, maybe 30 minutes, an hour- she couldn’t be sure, but eventually after a long period of time, one of them began to stir. It was Yang, the one on the floor, and Weiss gripped the pan handle much tighter than before.

“Ugh... Wha...” Yang shuffled on the floor, her confused voice reaching Weiss’ ears. It took another minute, but eventually Yang opened her eyes, and she sputtered at her position, immediately struggling in the hold of Weiss’ strong hair. “What the _fuck?”_ Yang hissed, grunting. Weiss gulped and moved a bit so she was at Yang’s side. Yang whipped her head up, and her gaze hardened instantly, Weiss biting back a scared whimper when her lilac eyes turned a shade of red. “Who the hell are you? What have you done to us?” She yelled, struggling more against the hair wrapped around her body.

Weiss grimaced at her tone, but didn’t falter- she had to keep control of this situation, had to be in charge right now. She held the pan tightly, aiming it a bit towards Yang, who scoffed.

“A frying pan? _Really?_ Princess, you have no idea what you’re dealing with, here.” Yang said, and the insufferable smirk on her face tempted Weiss into knocking her out again. But she restrained herself, instead scowling at her captive, stepping a bit closer menacingly.

“Oh? Well, this pan just so happens to be what knocked you out in the first place, Hot Shot.” Weiss took pride in the fact that Yang faltered at her words, surprise flashing in her red eyes. She soon recovered though and scoffed again.

“Took me by surprise, that’s not a fair fight.” Yang replied with the same smirk, and Weiss gritted her teeth. 

“You climbed into my window, and scared me. I had to do something.” Weiss found herself explaining, and she scolded herself in her mind- she was supposed to be intimidating her, not explaining anything. She shook her head, glare set on Yang as she threatened to hit her again, the golden haired girl flinching in response. “Tell me who you are, right now! This is _my_ tower, and my home, and I’ll defend it by any means necessary. Especially from _bandits!”_

Yang groaned at the shrill and annoying octave Weiss’ voice had taken to rising to, and her eyes started to shift again. They were now normal, and the heat that she had was slowly fading away. She seemed tired with everything now, rather than looking to fight.

“Look, Princess, just let us go.” Yang said, looking up at her. “I only came here to look for my sister, and now I’ve found her. So, let me go, and I’ll make sure we’re on our merry way right out of your tower.” Yang said, gauging her reaction. Weiss hesitated for a moment, a slight dip to the pan indicating that her grip was loosening.

Before Weiss or Yang could say anything else, the person on the chair was now stirring. Weiss rushed back towards the staircase, now facing the other person waking up. She ignored the call from Yang, and tightened her grip once more on the pan as Ruby’s eyes fluttered open.

“Wha... Yang?” Ruby said quietly, the girl clearly a bit out of it still. Yang shifted on the floor, trying to get a look at her sister.

“Rubes! It’s okay, I promise.” Yang reassured her, and Weiss watched with genuine interest as she desperately tried to turn, tried to reach out to her to calm her sister, to be there for her. Ruby finally blinked her eyes open fully now, and her eyes met Weiss’ form in front of her.

“W-What the-? Yang, why does she have a frying pan?! What’s going on?!” Ruby screeched, eyes wide and shoulders shaking. Yang winced as she tried even more to turn her body around, clearly pulling something if the pain in her eyes was any indication.

“She knocked us out, sis.” Yang explained, finally accepting her fate and huffing, settling back into her original position. Ruby’s eyes widened even more, it seemed like, and she seemed to cower away- well, as best she could while tied up with Weiss’ hair. It... Surprised Weiss. According to the bounty on their heads, they’re supposed to be thieves- a bandit sister duo. If that was the case, why did this one seem so... Harmless?

“What? Why?!” Ruby asked, glancing around the tower before settling her gaze on Weiss again. She leaned forward, eyes pleading. “Look, please let us go. W-We have food! Money! A horse-”

“We are _not_ negotiating with her! And don’t bring Ember into this, I did _not_ agree to trading her!” Yang snapped at her, and Ruby clamped her mouth shut. Yang sighed, and by this point, Weiss had completely lowered her pan, her observations telling her that... These people weren’t really here to hurt her. But she had to be sure.

“Why did you come here?” Weiss demanded, her first words towards the red and black haired girl in the chair. Ruby jumped at her voice, before she met Weiss’ icy blue eyes. There was a beat of silence, before a slow grin stretched along Ruby’s lips. Weiss blinked at this, averting her eyes as a light blush spread to her cheeks at the girl’s intense silver gaze.

“Oh, you have pretty eyes.” Ruby said, catching Weiss _and_ Yang off guard. Yang beat her to a reply.

“Oh my god, you are not seriously _flirting_ with our captor right now.” Yang said, and Ruby blushed immediately, sputtering.

“I-I’m not flirting! It was just... I was just... Making an observation.” Ruby’s voice turned soft, and Weiss combated the slight flutter in her heart at these statements, not entirely sure what the concept of flirting even was, or what her reactions to this “flirting” meant for her. This was all very new for her. 

She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she cleared her throat to get back on track, scowling at Ruby and stepping closer, Ruby’s eyes widening at her approach. Weiss placed her hands on her hips in a wide stance, eyes narrowed at her.

“I asked you a question, you dolt!” Weiss said, and Ruby winced at her tone. “Why did you come here? Did my father send you two?”

Ruby’s eyes shifted to confusion, head tilting like a puppy. “Your father? Don’t know him.”

Weiss scoffed and crossed her arms, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “ _Everyone_ knows my father. Jacques Schnee? Owner of the biggest dust business in the land?”

Recognition flooded into Ruby’s eyes, a gasp escaping her lips. Yang raised her head in interest, looking as far over her shoulder at Weiss as she could. 

“ _That’s_ your father? Oh, shit.” Yang said, sinking into the floor. Weiss was now more confused, but trained her eyes on Ruby, whose eyes were still wide and gears turning in her mind.

“I demand answers.” Weiss said to her, and Ruby slowly nodded, a sheepish smile on her face. She shifted in her seat, voice coming out soft and weak.

“R-Right, um... Thing is... We kinda, um, well... We kinda just stole a crate of dust. From him.” Ruby’s voice squeaked up at the end, and Weiss blinked, taking in this information. She stepped back a little.

“You...” Weiss’ words died in her throat. She felt an odd feeling in her chest- it wasn’t anger, she definitely knew that feeling. She wasn’t sure, but at this new information, she felt... Intrigued? by these two bandits. They clearly weren’t sent by her father, and the fact they stole from him kind of... Delighted her.

A smirk formed on her lips, and Ruby blinked in confusion at her reaction to this news. Weiss met her eyes.

“Why did you do that?” Weiss asked, and Ruby shook off her confusion to answer her.

“Uh... Well, for money?” Ruby said, like it was obvious. Weiss raised her scarred eyebrow, which seemed to catch Ruby’s interest. She stared at Weiss’ scar that ran down her eye, before she snapped back to finishing her answer. “And, well no offence, um...” Ruby scrambled for a minute, as if searching for something with her eyes. Weiss studied her, before realisation set in. She hesitated for a second, wondering if she could _really_ trust these people.

But a part of her... Kind of already did, with this new information that they stole from her father. She despised the man, so anyone that did any wrongdoings to him were more or less okay in her books, to some extent. Even bandits. Plus, Ruby’s eyes were... Nice. She looked gentle, and her eyes shone with a care that Weiss had never seen before. She... Kind of liked it- and she wouldn’t admit that to this bandit _ever_. 

“Weiss.” She finally uttered, breaking the weird silence that had settled between them all. “My name is Weiss. Weiss Schnee.” She wasn’t sure if she had to provide her last name, but she foolishly did. Ruby didn’t say anything about that though, but instead just let out a soft smile, gazing at Weiss with genuine interest.

“Weiss...” Ruby said softly. It was so soft that Weiss almost didn’t hear it, but she did, and a weird feeling settled in her stomach. It seemed to flip around when she heard her say her name, and she wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Well,” Ruby continued after a moment. “Weiss, no offence, but your father really sucks.” Ruby said, shrugging. Yang snorted and agreed with a grunting noise. Weiss scoffed, and Blake finally moved from her perch behind Weiss’ head, having been laying on the step enjoying the show for the most part. This seemed to spark an interest in the feline, and she jumped down from the step, gathering the attention of Ruby.

“Aw, cute kitty! Can I pet her?” Ruby bounced in her seat, genuine excitement in her eyes and vibrating body. Blake shot away when Ruby moved her foot, attempting to touch the cat with it. Ruby pouted and whined sadly, before her attention was stolen by Weiss.

“Yes, I’m fully aware of that.” Weiss said, rolling her eyes. “And?”

Blake cautiously stepped around Ruby, slowly making her way towards the other sister. Yang spoke up this time, not noticing the cat right away as she was looking out the window in front of her.

“ _And_ , he treats us poor folk like dirt. Us kids that grew up in places like Patch? He doesn’t help us, doesn’t do _anything_ on that damn council to help anybody but himself. And he also treats the Faunus unfairly.” Yang sighed angrily at the end, shaking her head. Weiss watched Blake as she approached the woman, seemingly even more interested in her now. Yang jumped when one of Blake’s ears brushed her hand, Yang looking down at the feline. She smiled a little, Blake nuzzling her nose into her hand.

“Elaborate, please.” Weiss said, crossing her arms again. She wasn’t aware of what Yang was referring to, seeing as her father... Never told her anything about the outside world. What was Patch? How was her father treating these unfortunate people, and faunus, unfairly?

She knew what the Faunus were, was aware of the terrible acts some of them committed. But Weiss had never met one before, so she felt like she shouldn’t judge them before that happened. She wasn’t knowledgeable enough to make any sort of opinion on... Well, _anything_ out there, because she hadn’t seen much of it.

Yang hummed, smile growing when Blake licked her hand. “You don’t know?” She asked, and at Weiss’ short shake of the head, she sighed. “He threw most of them into one place- Called Mantle. That’s where most of the poor folk live now, just settled outside of Atlas, the big kingdom. Mantle is mostly made up of Faunus, though, and has a lot of ignorant people in it.” Yang sounded sad, and Weiss’ heart dropped into her stomach as she continued. “Anyway, Ruby and I come from a small farm just outside of Atlas, and we work hard to provide for the people there. But your father refuses to help, so we... Had to choose other options.” Yang shrugged one shoulder, and then let out a surprised sound when Blake jumped into her lap, looking up at her with her amber eyes.

“I had no idea.” Weiss murmured, mostly to herself, but everyone was able to hear it.

“You seem to be pretty locked up to know much of anything, huh, Princess?”

Yang’s comment hit her a bit harder than she expected, and it caused her to press her back against the side of the staircase, sliding down to sit on the floor. Ruby watched her all the while, concern in her eyes. Weiss looked down at her hands, a frown etched on her lips.

No, she really didn’t know anything.

“Hey, uh, you okay?” Ruby said suddenly, and Weiss shot her eyes up towards her in alarm. Her captive- the person she had currently tied up with her hair, was asking _her_ if she was okay?

This one was interesting.

“I’m fine.” Weiss replied, sighing and standing up again. She gazed at the pair tied up before her, debating in her mind. She chewed on her bottom lip, and Ruby spoke softly to her again.

“Look, Weiss... We don’t want any harm. I-I was just curious what was up here, so I left Yang to come check it out.” She seemed embarrassed about this, and Weiss gazed at her in thought. “If you let us go, we won’t be any trouble, I swear.”

Weiss flitted her eyes away from her to look out her window. It was now midday, and the sun looked beautiful high in the sky. The fresh air occasionally floated into the tower whenever the wind picked up, and it was a delightful smell. She had always longed to get away from here, always wanted to meet other people, see new things, _be free_.

As the cogs turned in her head, and she looked between the two women tied together, she finally came to a conclusion.

“I will let you go.” Weiss said, and Ruby relaxed her tense shoulders. Yang was relieved too, and seemed like she was about to say something, but Weiss held up her hand. “On one condition.”

Yang groaned.

“No, whatever it is, _no_.” Yang snapped, and Ruby shot her foot back at her, kicking her in the side. Yang hissed in pain and squirmed a little. “Ruby!”

“Let her speak!” Ruby pleaded with her, and Yang grumbled, but ultimately stayed quiet. Ruby returned her eyes to her, looking up at her with a smile. “Go on.”

Weiss shifted under her curious gaze, before she sighed and gestured around her, Ruby’s eyes following her movements.

“I’ve been stuck here for, as of today, 18 years now.” Weiss began, only to be interrupted by Ruby’s boisterous voice.

“As of today?” Ruby asked, excited look on her face. “Happy birthday!”

Weiss paused, blinking at her in confusion. She hadn’t heard anyone say that to her in a very long time. When she was younger, her father would say it, but only every other year if he even remembered her birthday. And even then, it was only because it felt more like a procedure, rather than him actually caring. She had never heard the words being used in a genuine way before. And it was coming from a lowly bandit, whom she still has tied up.

Truly interesting indeed.

“T-Thank you...” Weiss said, and Ruby nodded at her, bright smile on her face. Weiss cleared her throat, ignoring the heat on her cheeks to continue her story. “My father has kept me here for as long as I can remember. I’ve always dreamt of leaving here when I had the chance, but fear would always prevent me from doing so.” Weiss looked down at the floor, arms curled around herself in a way to shield her, to hide her true emotions and feelings. It was what she learned to do while she was trapped. She chewed on her lip for a moment, before continuing. “I have so many questions about what’s out there, so many things I haven’t gotten to experience. I want to leave. I-I _need_ to leave.”

She raised her eyes to look directly into Ruby’s. Ruby stared at her, and Weiss was surprised to find a sad look in them, as if she felt bad for her. It was odd, how she seemed to feel empathetic towards her when she still hadn’t untied either of them from their positions. Weiss kept her arms around herself, but she stepped forward, breaching Ruby’s personal space for a minute. Their eyes remained locked, and Weiss felt an unfamiliar sensation travel down her spine when Ruby smiled at her encouragingly.

“I will let you go, if I can go with you.” Weiss said. Yang let out a noise in protest, and Ruby tilted her head towards her sister.

“Rubes, sister meeting! _Right now!”_ Yang hissed through clenched teeth. There was a pause, before Yang groaned and struggled against Weiss’ hair. “Can you untie us now? I need privacy with my sister for this.”

Weiss jumped and let out a soft ‘oh’, before she nodded at them both. She clutched onto the hair, unwrapping strand after strand until they were both free at last. She dropped the hair to the floor, spreading it out more behind her so it didn’t take up as much space as usual. Yang instantly shot up off the floor, stretching her limbs out and cracking her joints. Ruby rubbed her butt when she stood up, pouting at the numbness.

Ruby gasped as her eyes fell upon Weiss’ hair, finally noticing just how _long_ it was now that it wasn’t around her and Yang. Weiss stood there and watched as the two sisters looked to each other, and then allowed their eyes to travel all around the tower, following the trail of hair until their eyes settled back on Weiss again.

“Your hair...” Ruby said, astonished. Weiss felt a blush creep up her neck and to the tips of her ears, a stark contrast to her pale skin and white mane. She scratched her neck and shrugged, looking away.

“Yes, I know. It’s long.” She deadpanned. She glanced back at Ruby, who crouched down slightly to examine some of her hair that was near her chair.

“Yes, it is. But...” Ruby trailed off, and Yang walked around the chair to stand near her, allowing Blake to follow her and rub against her leg. “It’s beautiful.”

Ruby stood back up and walked along the trail of Weiss’ hair, completely transfixed. Weiss was... Unsure of herself, at that moment. She was only ever told by her father what _he_ thought of it, what _he_ felt about it, and how she could never damage it or cut it if she wanted to. To have someone else see it, and say it’s _beautiful_ , especially as someone as eye-catching as this woman, well...

Weiss suddenly stopped working.

“Um.. I, Uh..” Weiss hated when she stuttered. She thought it would show she was weak and insecure, especially if she did it around her father. Weiss squared her shoulders and cleared her throat, trying to regain some composure. “Thank you.” She said simply.

Ruby graced her with a soft, cute smile, eyes shining with something that Weiss couldn’t name. Yang sighed from behind her and reached out to grab her shoulder, pulling her back to where she was. She looked at Weiss.

“Sister meeting.” Yang said, pulling Ruby over to the other side of the tower. Their voices were hushed and low, so Weiss wasn’t sure what they were talking about. Blake joined her soon after, sitting next to her foot as they both watched the sisters debate back and forth, getting in each other’s faces as their hushed voices turned up into a heated battle.

“Yang, she’s _trapped_ here. She just let us go!” She heard Ruby say, and Yang shushed her with a finger to her lips. Yang mumbled something to her, pointing at Weiss before pointing outside the window. Weiss frowned, shrinking back and sighing as she sat down on her mattress.

“Yang, I love you, I know it’s always supposed to be us against the world.” Ruby said as quietly as possible, but Weiss still caught what she said next. “But she deserves better than this, doesn’t she? And we’re her only hope.”

Blake pressed herself against Weiss’ side in a sign of affection and comfort as the sisters argued some more. Ruby eventually sighed deeply, and Weiss didn’t catch what she said to Yang this time, but it seemed to finally break Yang down. Yang threw her hands up, said something to her, and then stomped towards the window, looking out of it with a clenched jaw.

Ruby’s shoulders sagged, but she eventually picked them up and turned towards Weiss, a gentle smile on her face as she approached her. Weiss looked up at her questioningly, Ruby maintaining her gentle demeanour as she knelt down in front of her.

“You can come with us. I convinced her.” Ruby said, and Weiss’ eyes lit up immediately. She momentarily forgot her troubles with physical contact, and the fact that Ruby was a bandit, and threw her arms around her shoulders, tightly squeezing her body.

“Really? Oh, thank you! I promise I won’t cause trouble.” Weiss said, relief and gratitude washing over her. Ruby was shocked and hesitant, but slowly wrapped her arms around Weiss in return, smiling into her hair.

“It’ll be okay, Weiss. You deserve to be free from here.” Ruby said into her hair, and Weiss felt her heart do a weird flip. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, so it frightened her a bit- frightened her when Ruby’s hand trailed up and down her back gently, and how her body seemed to react on its own and melt into the strong muscles of the bandit’s body.

Weiss detached herself as if she were burnt, and Ruby looked at her with a worried expression. Weiss shook her head and stood up, prompting Ruby to stand up as well. She was barely an inch taller than her, but Weiss still had to look up at her. She paused for a moment, before a brush to her ankle brought her attention back to Blake. A thought popped into her mind.

“May I ask if Blake can accompany me?” Weiss asked, gesturing to the cat at her feet. Ruby looked down at the feline, and Weiss saw Yang’s eyes glance down at her as well. Blake looked up at everyone, a soft purr in her throat. Ruby’s smile was warm when Weiss looked at her again.

“Of course! She’s so cute.” Ruby said, crouching down to pick up the cat. Blake meowed, allowing her to scratch behind one of her ears. Weiss pursed her lips and sighed, taking Blake out of Ruby’s arms and holding her to her chest.

“Good. Let’s go, then.” Weiss said sharply, brushing past Ruby and towards Yang, who leaned against the wall next to the window. Yang pushed herself off the wall and while looking unbelievably unhappy with this situation, began climbing out of the window.

Grumbling obscenities under her breath, Yang hung herself out of the window, feet searching for purchase on some of the stones sticking out. She was able to, and as she scaled the wall, she eventually grabbed the rope that was leading down to the ground. It only reached up halfway up the tower, the end having a weird looking hook on it, embedded in between two stones sticking out. Yang slid down the rope to the ground, feet planting firmly on the ground. She motioned to Ruby, who smiled at Weiss beside her and proceeded to follow her sister’s lead.

Ruby dropped to the ground next to Yang. Weiss looked down at them, fear invading her stomach at how far of a drop it was. Blake squirmed out of her hold, and with the usual amazing finesse she held, expertly jumped from stone to stone until she also landed with Ruby and Yang. She jumped into Yang’s arms, startling Yang as she caught her. 

“Weiss! Don’t be afraid, you can do it! Just climb down!” Ruby called up to her, and Weiss scowled at her.

“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do!” Weiss snapped, and Ruby shrank back from her tone, holding up her hands. 

“Geez, what an Ice Queen.” Yang said, and Ruby shoved her sister, but the stronger of the two barely moved from the impact.

Weiss looked behind her, sighing and moving around the tower, gathering up her hair into one large, white clump in her arms. She would have to drop this out of the window, then maybe it would be easier than climbing down on the wall.

“Oh, Weiss! Weiss! Got an idea, let down your hair- Oof!”

Weiss threw her hair out of the window, effectively cutting Ruby off. She raised an eyebrow at the sudden silence, peering out of the window. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, and Yang had doubled over in laughter with her hands on her knees, Blake perched on her shoulder.

“Oh my _god_.” Yang wheezed, hand finding purchase on the tower wall to hold herself up. Weiss heard a groan, and she soon realised that she had thrown all her hair on top of Ruby, and she was now buried underneath it.

“Yang! _Help me.”_ A lone hand stuck out from underneath the mound of hair, fingers twitching as she pleaded with her sister, who continued to laugh uncontrollably. Weiss huffed at the bandits, rolling her eyes and starting to climb out of her window.

“Such idiots.” Weiss muttered, wondering briefly if she made a mistake.

She glanced down at the massive gap from the window to the ground. She took one large breath to calm herself.

Weiss curled up some of her hair and looked upwards. There was a hook just above her window, which used to hold a lantern for some more light, but it was accidentally smashed one day when Blake knocked it over. It gave Weiss an idea though.

She threw some of her hair over the hook, hoisting more up and beginning to create a long piece of it that stretched down. As she pulled more up, Ruby was able to crawl from underneath it, dramatically holding her chest and sucking in deep breaths.

“I almost _died.”_ She yelled at Yang, who snorted at her and pulled her up. Ruby huffed in annoyance, but was soon silenced by a cry from above.

Weiss was hurtling towards them at top speed, her hair stretching above her as she slid down the other part of it like a rope. Ruby’s eyes widened and she held her arms out, fully intending to catch the woman if she fell.

Weiss’ cry was first out of fear, but she was now smiling the closer she got to the ground. Before that happened, though, her hair abruptly ran out and stopped her, just above Ruby’s arms, much to Ruby’s disappointment.

Weiss panted from all the action, and she held herself there for a second, suspended above the ground.

This was it- this was the first time in as long as she could remember that she would be touching the ground. Her bare feet curled up underneath her, and she gulped at the prospect of finally feeling grass between her toes, feeling dirt under her feet.

Ruby and Yang watched her, looking at each other with confusion.

Weiss took one last deep breath before shutting her eyes tight, slowly but surely stretching her leg down, gently laying her foot on the grass. Her other foot followed suit, and after so many years of being trapped, of captivity, of fear and heartache, here she was. Finally free.

Weiss opened her eyes and dropped her hold on her hair, the mound of it unravelling from its pulley system and falling to the ground behind her. Ruby and Yang watched her with interest, Blake still sitting comfortably on Yang’s shoulder.

Weiss blinked in disbelief, raising her eyes to look at the two before her. Her eyes focused on Ruby, and she allowed, for the first time, a happy and lopsided smile to appear, soft and small. Ruby smiled back at her, and her heart soared in her chest.

“I’m free.” Weiss whispered, and Ruby nodded excitedly.

“You are.” She replied, and Yang smirked at the two, looking between them. She might not have been into the idea to begin with, but now that she’s seeing these looks between her sister and this woman, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Blake hopped down from Yang’s shoulder, catching everyone’s attention for a split second. The cat meowed and then bounded off, and Weiss felt the air rush from her lungs.

“Blake! Where are you going?” Weiss asked frantically, taking a couple steps to follow her companion, only to be stopped by Ruby.

“Wait.” Ruby said, halting her movements. “Look.”

Weiss paused, eyes searching crazily for Blake, only to notice a shimmery light in the forest that she ran off into, Weiss blinked in surprise and disbelief when the light disappeared, and after some rustling in the forest, a sight greeted Weiss that she never would have expected.

A woman walked out behind the trees, two cat ears perched on her head that were now pressed down, and she wore a black crop top, black pants with a white belt, and a long white coat over top. Her stomach was shown, and as she approached, her hands fiddled with each other.

Weiss was at a loss.

“Hi.” The woman said cautiously, looking between the three women in front of her. She scratched the back of her neck when everyone continued to stare, and she decided to press on. “Weiss, I’m sorry I never revealed myself...” She said softly, holding her left wrist with her right hand as she lowered her head in shame, feline ears pushed down sadly. “I just thought staying as my animal form was... Easier, especially with your father around.”

Her words suddenly resonated within Weiss, and Weiss shot her hand up to cover her mouth, a loud gasp escaping her mouth.

“ _Blake_?” Weiss said in awe, eyes flitting up and down the woman before her. Blake looked up at her, nodding firmly to confirm her suspicions. Ruby stood still next to Weiss, not entirely sure what to say, and Yang blinked a few times, her eyes travelling up and down Blake’s body, blatantly checking her out at times.

“Wait, you _licked_ me!” Yang said in astonishment, raising her left hand. Blake’s ears pricked up, and a smirk settled onto her features as she shrugged coolly.

“Licking for cats is like... Leaving a kiss for a person.” Blake explained smoothly. She looked Yang up and down, biting her lip before amber eyes looked into Yang’s shocked lilac. “Aren’t you supposed to give a pretty lady a kiss on the hand?”

Yang’s face reddened, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times. Blake giggled behind her hand, before she looked back to Weiss, an apologetic look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Weiss. I should have showed you who I really was... And told you my true nature.” Blake pointed to her ears. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you on my own...” Blake said sadly.

Weiss knew what the ears meant, and she knew how her father would have reacted if her emotional support cat was actually a Faunus that could suddenly shape shift. She understood it wouldn’t have been pretty.

So she just smiled, tension leaking out of her rigid shoulders as she reached forward, pulling Blake into a tight hug. Blake tensed up for a moment, before smiling and hugging her back gently, ears twitching with happiness.

“It’s okay, Blake.” Weiss said sincerely, and Blake hummed in response. Weiss kept it brief, as she remembered there were two people still here, and she pulled away after a few seconds, turning towards the pair of sisters.

“What now?” Weiss asked. Yang pointed towards their horse and made her way over to it, patting her side before looking back at everyone. Ruby sent Weiss a comforting smile.

“Ember is Yang’s horse, and she’s really awesome! I don’t think everyone can fit on her, though.” Ruby said, a frustrated pout forming on her lips. Weiss thought for a second, furrowing her eyebrows. Yang swung her leg up and over Ember, settling on her horse and petting her mane. She glanced at Blake, and she hoped the faunus would understand the message in her eyes, even though they had just properly met.

Blake narrowed her amber eyes at her, and then a playful smirk donned her face, a flash of understanding in her eyes. Yang smirked back, and Blake brushed past the other two, allowing Yang to take her hand and swing her leg over her horse. Blake wrapped her arms around Yang’s waist, quite fond of this position truth be told.

Ruby sputtered and looked at them.

“Hey! We didn’t even get to vote!” Ruby said, and Yang snorted and shrugged in response.

“You snooze you lose. Blake’s my travel partner now.” Yang said, and Blake giggled behind her, light blush on her cheeks. Ruby huffed and turned to Weiss, who also didn’t look happy about these arrangements. Ruby pursed her lips in thought, before lighting up with an idea.

She moved and stood in front of Weiss, before turning her back to her and leaning down, holding her hands out.

“Piggy back ride!” Ruby said happily, and Weiss stared at her position with confusion, interest, and then she quickly turned annoyed and angry at her words.

“Did you just insinuate that I was a _pig_?” Weiss’ voice spiked up higher, her arms crossing on her chest. Ruby shot up and gasped, waving her hands defensively.

“Of course not! Ah, it’s just what you call giving someone a ride on your back, so they won’t have to walk.” Ruby explained, a blush flaring up on her cheeks. Weiss blinked once, then twice.

“Besides,” Ruby said, playing with the red cloak around her shoulders. “You’re too beautiful, so you aren’t a pig.”

Weiss’ face flushed, and she averted her gaze. Whatever feeling arose in her at that, she wasn’t sure if she liked it or hated it. Ruby was making her feel many things she hadn’t even thought of until today, and it was a bit much to deal with. She licked her lips and glanced at Ruby’s eyes, before looking away again.

“O-Oh.” She stuttered, and Ruby returned to her previous position, encouraging her to jump on. “What about you, though?”

“Pfft! Nah, don’t worry about me! I’m strong, and you just got free! You deserve to see everything without overworking your legs.” Ruby said confidently, bright smile on her face when she turned to look over her shoulder at Weiss. Weiss’ blush deepened, and she finally huffed and did as she was told, slowly climbing onto Ruby’s back. Ruby stood up, a surprised gasp escaping Weiss as she wrapped her hands around her thighs, shifting her up higher than before. Weiss wrapped her arms around her neck on instinct, and Ruby hummed happily as she began walking.

“Perfect. Okay, team, let’s roll!” Ruby cheered, and Yang snickered as she tapped Embers’ sides with her heels, the horse turning around and beginning to follow the path back the way they had come.

Weiss stared at the back of Ruby’s head for a solid minute, before cautiously relaxing on top of her, allowing her hands to rest underneath her thighs to hold her up. Weiss laid her head on Ruby’s shoulder, her breath ghosting over the girl’s exposed neck right next to her mouth.

Ruby shivered, and Weiss wasn’t entirely sure what that reaction meant, but she figured she would learn eventually. Everything was so new, and everything had happened so fast.

But she was finally free. 

“Ruby?” Weiss said softly, noticing the way the girl immediately snapped her gaze to her on her shoulder. She smiled and hummed, turning her head to look in front of her as she walked for the both of them.

“Yes?” Ruby replied, cheery tone never faltering. Weiss pursed her lips, staring at the girl’s profile, eyes tracing her cheek bone and the soft looking skin of her cheek.

“Thank you.” Weiss whispered, and Ruby breathed out a laugh.

“No problem! It wouldn’t have felt right if we left you there.” Ruby stated. “You deserve to be as free as us.”

Weiss fought back the tears that were forming, swallowing the lump in her throat. Out of all the people she could have met, she met this one. A bandit, a thief, but one with a kind heart, and Weiss wanted to show how thankful she really was.

She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, and she wasn’t sure what compelled her to do so, but she leaned in anyway, planting a soft kiss onto Ruby’s cheek. The bandit faltered in her movements slightly, tightening her grip on Weiss’ thighs to keep them _both_ upright. Weiss blinked at the reaction, still a bit unsure. Ruby’s cheeks were red, and she stuttered a little before she beamed and glanced at Weiss.

“I meant it.” Weiss said, stopping Ruby from speaking. “Thank you.”

Ruby blinked a few times, before she nodded once and looked ahead again, falling silent as she led them behind Ember, Yang steering her with Blake passed out against her back.

Weiss felt that tiredness, now, and she laid her head back onto Ruby’s shoulder. And as she drifted off to sleep on Ruby Rose’s back, infamous thief and bandit, she realised, with the smell of roses wafting into her nose, for the first time, just how happy she was.

It would take a while for her to get used to this, after so many years in that tower. She had many questions, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever get the answers. But she was sure of one thing.

She would never regret letting her hair down that day. 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Tangled in Unexpected Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23453071) by [epjindustries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/epjindustries/pseuds/epjindustries), [TitanPenStudios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanPenStudios/pseuds/TitanPenStudios)




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